What is CBD and why are people using it

As medical marijuana continues to attract daily headlines, a certain by product of the plant is beginning to get its well-deserved attention. Cannabidiol (pronounced canna-bid-eye-ol) better known as “CBD” is the compound found in the cannabis plant that is showing the most signs for medical treatment. A cousin of the compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), the compound found in marijuana that gives users the “high” feeling, CBD provides the benefits to patients without the buzz.

First discovered in 1940, CBD was labelled as “toxic” by the University of Illinois scientists that first isolated the compound. Since then however, CBD has been studied more and more and has moved through the ranks from being a pariah to being known as the drug of the future.

Studies are beginning to showcase the many potential benefits of CBD:

Pain:

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, CBD has been shown to penetrate the parts of the body responsible for pain and relieve patients. One well known drug, Sativex, that is approved in several countries, uses CBD and THC together to relieve pain in patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Heart Health:

In a 2017 study, doctors found that CBD reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers.[1] Allow these result needs to be studied more, it gives a possibility that CBD can reduce the risks that come with high blood pressure, such as stroke and heart attacks.

Acne:

One study found that CBD oil prevents sebaceous gland cells, from overproducing the oily secretion “sebum” which is partly responsible for acne, as well as producing anti-inflammatory effects on the glands. [2]

Reduce Anxiety and Depression:

In a 2011 study, researchers split 24 people with Social Anxiety Disorder into two groups of 12, giving one group a placebo and the other CBD. When both groups were put to a public speaking test, the group given CBD showcased much less anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort. [3]

Cancer-Related Symptoms:

177 Patients receiving cancer treatment who experienced inadequate pain relief despite chronic opioid use were put into a study and either given CBD or a placebo. Those who received the CBD showed a reduction of more than 30% from a baseline pain rating score when compared to those with a placebo. [4]

Neuroprotective Properties:

Arguably the most famous benefit of CBD is its promising results in treating those with both adult and childhood epilepsy. In one 2016 study, epileptic patients who were given CBD oil based on their weight and showcased a median seizure reduction of 36.5% [5]

In children with Dravet Syndrome, a childhood epilepsy disorder, a 2017 study showcased a median reduction of convulsive seizures from 12.4 per month to 5.9 per month when given CBD oil. [6]

Although CBD must continue to be studied to effectively prove without doubt its medical benefits, early studies have been very promising and are opening doors to a wildly different view of CBD from that of the past.

Thank you!

Billy Caldwell, the 12 year old boy with autism suffering from epilepsy, who sparked a national debate on cannabis oil, has received a license from the Northern Irish Authorities to be treated at home.

England’s top cabinet officials are in a fierce battle over the country’s medical cannabis laws. Jeremy Hunt, health secretary of Britain, said he supports the use of cannabis oil for patients, and is calling on the government to review its stance of the issue.

After a court case that had many citizens of the state questioning the common sense of the law, a judge has sided with the family of Brooke Adams and will allow her to bring cannabis oil to school for emergency treatment of a rare form of epilepsy.

In early October, Canopy Growth Corporation announced a six-month study tracking and monitoring the effects of medical cannabis as an alternative to other forms of pain management. Canopy partnered with the Ontario Long Term Care Association for the project.

Israeli-based Together Pharma announced on Tuesday that it will partner with Premier Dead Sea to sell a cosmetic line based on cannabis and Dead Sea minerals. The products, which have not specifically been announced yet, will focus on CBD infusion.

B.C. Cancer will lead a first-ever national clinical trial to determine whether cannabis plant extracts truly help with symptom relief. The trial will examine how cannabis properties affect and possibly reduce cancer-related symptoms including pain, sleep disturbance, anxiety and nausea.

Depression is something that many people deal with and struggle to treat. But as mental health awareness becomes more and more prominent, people have begun to test and share different ways to cope with the illness that can be crippling at times.

Speaking at Digestive Disease Week in Washington, two doctors, one from Toronto’s Mount Sinai hospital, and the other from Meir General hospital in Israel, gave separate presentations on cannabis treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Chronic pain is the most common reason consumers give when enrolling in state-approved medical cannabis programs, according to an analysis of 15 states published by the Journal of Health Affairs on Monday.

Anxiety is an issue that many North American adults experience and can have crippling consequences in extreme cases. There are many pharmaceutically prescribed drugs out there that aim to address the issue such as Xanax and valium, but most, if not all, can come with brutal side effects.

Massachusetts-based wellness center Lyme Awareness has added medical cannabis to its list of treatments to help patients with Lyme disease. Although it will not cure the disease, cannabis can be used to aid in symptom management mainly because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

A new study from a team at the University of New Mexico went through 13,638 user rated cannabis sessions and their effects from 2,830 patients. The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology found that patients find relief from a massive amount of symptoms when using medical marijuana.

The Beeches Consulting Centre in Manchester, United Kingdom, has welcomed the first specialist medical cannabis clinic. Led by Dr. David McDowell, an independent pain specialist and consultant neurologist Professor Mike Barnes will serve as Clinical Director.

A study conducted by Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) and Berocan International in the Netherlands found that standardized high-THC cannabis was effective in treating musculoskeletal pain caused by fibromyalgia.

Senior neurology researcher Dr. Laszlo Mechtler said a 1:1 THC-to-CBD ratio was the most effective at treating symptoms of chronic illness and diminishing undesirable effects for seniors involved in the study.

A study out of McMaster University that performed a systematic review of 17 randomized clinical trials involving 3,161 patients found that though medical cannabis is safe to use, its role in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms is not well-defined.

The recently developed Cannabis Research Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is determined to test marijuana’s effectiveness to treating pain. Led by Dr. Jeffrey Chen, they intend to gather in-depth research on cannabis, its effects on pain, and its potential as an alternative to opioids.

The University of British Columbia is moving forward on its goal of filling the cannabis research gap, and has created a new professorship to study the possibility of using medical marijuana in treating opioid addictions.

In the past few decades, medical institutions have begun to use cannabis as a form of treatment because of its multifarious therapeutic effects. Researchers have conducted years of studies in order to better understand the plant and its effects. Positive results have allowed the integration of cannabis into medical facilities and also helped propel global legalization efforts.